Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái! Wishing all of you a very happy Year of the Rabbit!
Being half-Chinese, Chinese New Year was always a special treat. I got to have a holiday a lot of my friends didn't have... yet it still seemed special and different to me because I grew up in a mixed household. I celebrated odd Welsh holidays, Canadian ones, and Chinese ones. And they all had their special traditions.
Every year, my mom would have a big dinner for Chinese New Year. Hotpot with omelet parcels, bok choy, hot bean sauce, and noodles. Of course, there were carnivorous treats for the meat-eaters. But she always made me my own special pot. No meat allowed, instead I stuffed it with greens, wontons, and beancurd. Delicious.
Being in the UK, I wasn't able to make it to my mom's New Year's dinner. Instead, I've made myself a few small treats - Happy New Year Noodles, which mustn't be cut because they represent longevity, and Chinese Tea Eggs, because they remind me of my late maternal grandfather, Kung, who used to make them for me as a child. Tea eggs represent rebirth for the new year.
The noodles themselves are very straightforward. Sweet and tangy in a tamarind and soy sauce, with loads of beansprouts and carrots for crunch. The eggs are simmered in black tea, soy sauce, and star anise, lending them a subtly warm flavour and marbling them with a beautiful pattern of tea. I realise these sound weird, but trust me - if you like hard boiled egg, these just have the dial turned up. Salty, earthy, and warm. Just give them a try.
*****
Happy New Year Noodles
2 cups egg noodles, cooked, rinsed, and drained
1 carrot, julienned
1 small onion, sliced
2 tbsp. tamarind paste
1 tbsp. apricot jam or plum jam
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. brown rice vinegar
1 sliced red chili
1 cup beansprouts
a handful of coriander, chopped
vegetable oil
1. In a wok, fry your carrots and onions in oil over high heat. 2. Meanwhile, mix your tamarind into a splash of boiling water. Seive, and mix the rest of the liquid ingredients and jam into your sauce. 3. Continue frying the carrots and onion, and when tender, toss in your noodles and chili, and pour over your sauce. Heat evenly, then toss through your beansprouts. Serve with coriander.
Chinese Tea Eggs
3-4 eggs
2 black tea bags (I actually used twig tea [bancha], which was lovely)
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 star anise
1. Hard boil your eggs in water until cooked. Meanwhile, brew your tea in 2 cups of water and mix with the other ingredients. 2. Drain your eggs and gently crack the shell, rolling to create cracks all over the surface. 3. Return the eggs to the saucepan and add in your tea mixture. Bring to a simmer and cover, cooking for 1-3 hours, depending on how strong you want the eggs.
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